10 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. ² These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. ³ Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. ⁴ Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ ⁶ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. ⁷ Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.

⁸ “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ ¹⁰ But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’ ¹² I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day.

Luke 10:1-12

Dear God, the gospel reading for the day is actually verses 13-16, but I went back and read this for context. I noticed so many interesting things. One of the things I realized embarrassed me a little bit. I hope it was only something I forgot and not that I never put together when I read through Luke before.

• Verse 1: This is a second sending out. This is the one I’m embarrassed about. You sent out the 12 at the beginning of chapter 9, and then you sent out the 72 here in chapter 10. Why did I always have these two as the same thing in my head? Oh, there’s so much I still don’t understand or realize. It’s humbling to be reminded in such a simple way how truly ignorant I am. If I’ve missed this, how much more am I missing? One more thing for verse 1 that hadn’t sunk in before. They weren’t just going out. They were going out, seemingly, to 36 (72 divided by 2) villages Jesus planned to visit, preparing the way. It doesn’t say any of them rejected them. I wonder if Jesus was doing this because of the disappointment he felt from Korazin and Bethsaida. Maybe he hoped that building some anticipation by softening up the ground first would help people prepare their hearts to repent by the time he got there. That’s just a guess.
• Verse 2: The harvest and the workers. I’ve been thinking lately about mission work and the job of not only convincing people they need to follow you, but the difficulty in finding the people who are willing to walk through the narrow gate and then persevere down the narrow road. I know someone who wants to be a missionary to Japan. If they do it so that you can find just one specific soul to invite down that path, is it worth it? Yes, the harvest is out there, but the weeds growing up among the wheat makes it difficult to find the wheat at all. Help me to be looking for ways to find the wheat and invite it to enter through the narrow gate and then persevere.
• Verses 3-4: Lambs among wolves. He sent them out and demanded they be vulnerable and to not do anything to make themselves invulnerable. It’s the last thing that makes it interesting. He wanted them to be wholly and completely dependent upon him/you. I have a mountain in front of me that I don’t know how to move. It doesn’t involve money or resources, but it involves just a difficult situation. I am completely flummoxed by it. I am not necessarily a lamb among wolves, but I feel like I’m supposed to be a shepherd that will guide the flock through the wolves. Help me to do this. I have nothing within myself that helps me know how to do this. I offer my ignorance and helplessness to you. Please bring a solution that will maximize your glory in all of the involved lives.
• Verses 5-7: Your peace on a home. I hope we have that here. My wife and I, as empty-nesters, are grateful to truly enjoy each other and live peacefully together worshipping you. I’m so grateful for that. There is a home out there right now that is not peaceful. There are many homes, but I’m thinking about one right now. May you be glorified in all of this.
• Verses 8-10: The towns and welcome or reject. I think some would look at the politically conservative area where I live and assume it is a town that would welcome you, but a city viewed as a politically liberal area would reject you. But I can’t help but wonder which of us would really accept you and reject you if you came to us today. And which camp would I be in? Am I ready to really experience you?

Father, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51–David’s repentance after impregnating Bathsheba and killing Uriah). Help me to get out of my overwhelmedness and lay it all before you. Simply lay it before you and look for you to do something amazing. In fact, I look to you to do something amazing next week. For your glory, oh Lord, and not mine. And the pain we are experiencing, please use it to heal.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen